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Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco announced Monday the Department of Justice has doubled the $1 million it posted toward the reward, to go with $500,000 pledged by the National Association of Former U.S. Attorneys in the targeted killing of Seattle Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Wales.
Wales, 49, had Northeast roots. A native of Southborough, Massachusetts, he was graduated from Harvard University and Hofstra Law School, where he was the editor-in-chief of the law review.
He'd worked as a federal prosecutor in the Western District of Washington for 18 years -- specializing in fraud cases -- before an assailant shot and killed him as Wales sat writing emails in his basement the night of Oct. 11, 2001.
His would become the first line-of-duty murder of a federal prosecutor in American history if special prosecutor Steve Clymer, who heads the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albany, N.Y., determines that Wales was slain because of his job.
Federal authorities believe a street thug who was paid for the job pulled the trigger. They released a sketch of a person of interest (see below).
Among the latest developments, the FBI reportedly was preparing a report to Clymer that outlines the belief that a commercial airline pilot from Delaware who's been suspected in the slaying got help from the notorious Sinaloa Mexican drug cartel.
SEE: Details emerge about the FBI’s theory in the Thomas Wales Killing
“The Department of Justice will never forget Tom’s contributions to the department and the cause of justice, nor will we forget the tragedy of his death,” said Monaco, the deputy attorney general. “Although two decades have passed, the Department of Justice remains committed to this investigation. Somebody knows something about this murder, and we want to do everything we can to encourage them to come forward now.”
In addition to doubling the reward, the department announced steps to "redouble its efforts to pursue justice" in the investigation, she said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington will be joining the Seattle Prosecutor Murder (SEPROM) Task Force, which will provide, among other resources, investigators and prosecuting attorneys, the deputy attorney general said.
These "will put the department in the strongest possible position to solve Tom’s murder,” Monaco said.
According to the FBI: "On the night of October 11, 2001, at approximately 10:40 p.m., Thomas Crane Wales was killed in his home in Seattle, Washington. The shooter stood in the backyard of AUSA Wales' home and shot him several times through a basement window as he sat at his desk typing on his computer. It has been reported that a lone male suspect was seen fleeing the scene. Wales died at a hospital the next day."
Anyone with information about the killing is encouraged to contact the FBI and can do so confidentially by phone at (206) 622-0460 or by e-mail at walestips@fbi.gov. Tips can also be sent to the FBI at 1110 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98101.
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